


Night Terrors【 Prompto Argentum 】

by sanderz



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:27:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29552796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanderz/pseuds/sanderz
Summary: Gabriel Nightingale, a childhood friend of Noctis and Prompto, thought to be dead until Gladiolus' little sister announces that they have Gabriel with them, getting over her injuries from fleeing Insomnia. When meeting up in Lestallum, Gabriel tags along for the ride - just like old times.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Original Character(s)





	1. Chapter 1

Guns firing, swords clashing.

Flames consuming everything.

Buildings? Devastated.

Daemons and Imperials? Everywhere.

Spirits? Weakened.

Ever since the Citadel had collapsed, all hell broke loose.

What happened to that inside?

To their king?

Insomnia was a total hellhole. How did this come to happen?

Gabriel wasn't sure.

She figured she didn't really want to know.

But she knew one thing - she was getting out of here. Or she hoped so. Whether she came out alive or not, will be unknown for now.

But, she was starting to have her doubts.

"Iris! Get everyone over here!"

Gabriel called out to a younger female, cowering behind a set of crumbled buildings.

Iris poked her head around the corner, seeing Gabriel waving her free hand at the group. With a nod, Iris turned her head to look at the small group behind her. "C'mon, guys..."

Running ahead, Gabriel led the small group further away from the centre of the city, getting them to the borders where a car was awaiting them.

Or, at least, she _hoped_ there was a car there. Or _any_ cars at all. It was hard to say if they've all been destroyed by the Niffs or not... Since everything in the city was totally devastated.

She couldn't judge.

Putting a halt to her running, Gabriel held a hand up, her bow in hand. You could never be too sure what was around the corner anymore. An army of Magiteks, Iron Giants, or even one of the many Diamond Weapons that was let loose in the centre of the city. Or, literally any daemon they could come across. None of them was something Gabriel, or anyone else, would particularly want to face.

Seeing that the coast was clear, for the most part, Gabriel looked over her shoulder once more. "Coast's clear. Let's get out of here."

She was tired. Losing her breath.

Her legs were sore, her arms aching.

_She wanted this hell to end._

Iris nodded, her hand holding onto a young boy's. "Come on, Talcott," then she looked behind her, "everyone." Giving Talcott's hand a small squeeze, Iris gently tugged the younger boy to follow her who was, in turn, running after the raven-haired woman in front of her.

But, they weren't on the run for very long.

Puffing, out of breath, Gabriel's bow dematerialized from her hand in a small flash of blue light, bending over as she leaned against the half-collapsed wall.

"Are- Are you alright?"

Jumping slightly when she felt something on her shoulder, Gabriel relaxed when she realized it was only Iris' hand.

_Who else's could it have been?_

"I'm fine," Gabriel wheezed, putting a hand over the one on her shoulder. "I- I'm fine," she repeated, but she didn't sound as confident, not with the waver and pause in her sentence.

Pushing herself off the wall, Gabriel looked over the small group she was leading. "We're almost there."

_At least, she hoped so._

With but a sigh, the bow that was in her hands minutes ago had found itself in her grasp again, ready whenever needed.

"Let's go."

With an approving nod at the group, a hand was waved at them and the raven-haired woman pushed herself to run ahead once again, remaining vigilant as possible.

It was next to impossible to tell if anything was coming for them or not. The gunshots, the cries, the _destruction_.

For fuck's sake, tonight was supposed to be the night a peace treaty was signed. A _peace treaty_.

So much for that.

She didn't even want to think how this might've been the Niffs' plan all along.

Gods, what would happen when Noctis finds out?

...

Noctis...

Gabriel shook her head, halting in her steps. That was the least of her concerns right now.

_You should be with them! You were assigned to protect the_ prince _._

It was clear she was having a battle with herself.

Iris had a rather concerned frown.

"Iris," Talcott tugged at her hand, "is... she okay?"

_No!_

She slapped the side of her head. Harshly.

_It's good I'm here. How else would they get out of here alive?_

_But..._

_Noct..._ Prom _..._

Finally, Gabriel looked behind her, seeing a concerned Talcott and Iris approaching her.

"Gabby!" Talcott sighed, "are you sure you're okay?"

A sharp growl emitted from the woman's throat. " _Yes_. Let's just-"

" _Gabriel!_ "

There was no warning.

The cry from Iris, the terrified scream from Talcott, and the rest.

The gunshot.

It happened all too fast.

Groaning, a hand flew to her side, clutching it as pain seared through her left hip. " _Motherfucker-!_ "

The curse flew from her mouth without a second thought.

Turning her head, Gabriel's gaze settled onto a handful of Magiteks marching their way, guns blazing, firing at any moving thing that wasn't with them.

All those helpless people, toppling over like dominos...

" _Run!_ " Gabriel hissed, hand leaving her side to conjure an arrow, knocking it into her bow and letting it soar through the air.

Bullseye.

The Magitek's metal head was pierced right between where the eyes were, and it fell to the ground with a metal _clang!_

"Get _out_ of here!" Gabriel urged, her voice filled with dread. "That way!"

She nodded her head off to the side.

"But, _Gabby-_ "

" _Talcott!_ "

The boy retaliated, hiding behind Iris, as Gabriel raised her voice.

The young girl didn't know what to do.

They had no choice but to listen.

"L-let's go-" Iris tugged at Talcott, looking behind her. "Wait, wh-where's Jared--"

Another arrow was shot, another clang of metal hitting the ground. But that was only two out of what looked to be a hundred of them.

And this was a small group compared to what the rest of the city was probably facing.

Another Magitek suit fell to the ground, but it wasn't the work of Gabriel.

Standing at the woman's side stood a soldier, in a jet black hooded attire adorned with silver.

" _Nyx_!?"

The hooded figure looked to the side, his face becoming clearer in the light the fires were emitting.

It _was_ him!

_But how-?_

"Get out of here," the daggers in Nyx's hand twirled as he threw one in the air, catching it in the same hand. "I can only hold them off for a bit."

"What're you doing here?" It was the first thing that came out of Gabriel's mouth, alarmed yet in awe. The Kingsglaive had already caught up to the rest of the city?

But then that means...

_The Citadel...!_

But...

No.

 _Regis_...!

"That doesn't matter, I need you to get out of here," the Kingsglaive reiterated, this time with more urgency in his voice.

"But.." Gabriel frowned, a groan escaping her lips as she pressed a hand to her side once more.

This didn't go unnoticed by her friend.

With a sigh, he flicked the side of her head.

_Careless._

"Look," Nyx muttered, hand resting on her cheek, "I have other things I need to attend to," the look of hurt, betrayal and anger was clearly present on his face, "but when I saw you needed help, I came."

He was just passing over them, and saw they needed help?

 _Nyx..._ Gabriel's hand found its way on top of Nyx's, clearly upset.

_He's acting as if this is the last time I'll see him._

"I- I can help!" She muttered, determined. "It's _my_ job to make sure these people get out alive-" she gestured to the group behind her.

Nyx shook his head, pushing the young woman back slightly.

"No."

It was firm - he wasn't letting her get her way.

The gunshots were louder - the Magiteks, closer. And they were aiming at them.

" _Get out of here_."

Just as he pushed Gabriel back, the Magiteks opened fire once more.

Bullets seared past the two as they ducked for cover, Gabriel wincing in pain as they found themselves with Iris and the rest.

This bullet wound on her side was getting worse - she didn't have any potions or magic to heal herself.

And Nyx knew of this. He could see the blood dripping from her clothes.

 _It wasn't pretty_.

"You there," he pointed to Iris as he took his hood off, who looked confused and, frankly, scared of seeing him. They didn't know of him, it seemed.

More importantly, they didn't seem to recognize his outfit.

"Ir- Iris, it's fine," Gabriel mumbled, looking up. "He's a friend of mine."

"A friend who's tasking you to help get her out of here," Nyx urged. The grip he had on Gabriel's side - she hadn't noticed he was putting pressure on her wound - tightened, helping her stand. "She's already lost a lot of blood, you need to focus on getting out."

He poked his head around the wall they were hiding behind, frowning when he saw how close the Magiteks were getting.

"I'll be able to distract them, but not for long," he nodded at Iris before focusing his gaze on Gabriel.

"But I can-" a growl of pain left Gabriel as Nyx removed his hand, her own flying to her side almost right away.

"No buts."

"But-"

Pushing a finger to Gabriel's lips, Nyx smiled. But you could see the pain in his eyes.

Like he _knew_ this was the last time they'd see each other.

"I need you alive, and so do these people," he nodded to the group with them. "And I think Prince Noctis and that Prompto would think the same."

Noctis and Prompto.

 _It feels like forever since she last saw them_.

She missed them. How she wished to laugh with Noctis again or be in Prompto's arms...

Nyx was right.

"Gabby, we need to go," Iris ushered, grabbing her shoulders.

"Are you sure she'll be okay?" A worried Talcott looked up at Nyx, then back at Gabriel.

Nyx nodded. "She'll be fine-"

_Thud._

Spoken too soon.

Nyx cursed to himself as he looked down at an unconscious Gabriel, groaning slightly until she became completely quiet. Her hand that was once clutching her side had fallen limply to the ground, an expression of pain among her features.

" _Shit_." The Kingsglaive cursed, shaking his head. "Okay, you don't have time, she's lost too much blood." He placed both of his hands on Iris' shoulders. "Help her - get to Lestallum. She's got more kick than me, and others need her _alive_."

"I-" Iris swallowed, glancing down before turning to look at the group behind her, ordering a few to help carry her and get her out of here. "You have my word Mr Nyx - she's in good hands."

"I know," he smiled, nodding. "Tell her... I'll see her on the flip side."

With a longing look, Nyx got to his feet, gave Gabriel a precious kiss on the forehead, then drew his hood, twirling his daggers in hand.

Then he was gone as he ran towards the enemy, tearing the metal from one of the Magiteks with his dagger.

" _Go!_ "

_It would be the last thing they would hear from him._

At the command, grabbing Talcott's hand, Iris pulled the young boy along as she rushed across the field, seeing the opening to the roads.

_Were they finally free?_

"We're almost there-!"

_Gunshots firing everywhere._

_Swords tearing into each other._

_Flames spouting from buildings._

Putting that behind her, Iris ran as fast as her legs could take her, pulling the young Talcott along with her, until they reached the gates.

The gates out of Hell itself.

" _The car!_ "

Yelling in relief, Iris pushed herself through her pain to reach the cars, where a few of those who had gotten out were waiting for them, helping those get in.

Turning her head, she sighed in relief when everyone else had caught up — Jared among them, thank god.

Seeing his grandfather, Talcott let go of Iris' hand and rushed to him, hugging him around the waist.

"Get in," an older middle-aged man, known as Dustin, ushered the group into the rather spacious car, a four-wheeler, grabbing the unconscious Gabriel off of Iris' friend who was carrying her and laid her in the back of the boot. She was the only one who was suffering any lethal wounds.

Not wanting to leave her side, Iris got in the back with her, cradling Gabriel's head into her lap, handing holding her's.

"You'll be okay... I just know it."

...

_"...Thank you, Mr Nyx."_


	2. Chapter 2

_"I need you alive, and so do these people," he nodded to the group with them. "And I think Prince Noctis and that Prompto would think the same."_

_Nyx..._

_Insomnia..._

_The Citadel..._

A sharp groan left her lips, curling into a ball and clutching her side.

_What happened...?_

She shot up, cursing when a pain seared through her side. Gabriel looked down, frowning when she saw her stomach was wrapped in bandages.

Where was she? What happened?

Last she remembered, she was helping Iris and the others get out of Insomnia. Then they ran into Nyx and...

That's all she could remember.

Pushing herself off the bed she was in, Gabriel made her way to the window, looking outside.

_This isn't Insomnia._

Then that means...

_We made it?_

She let out a relieved sigh, but...

_Is everyone here?_

She remembered Nyx's last words.

_I need you alive._

Well, here she was.

Figuring she needed answers, Gabriel made her way to the door, pulling it open, only to be met with a familiar face.

"Iris?"

"Oh! Thank the Astrals..." The young girl muttered to herself, gently wrapping her arms around Gabriel's neck. "We didn't think you'd wake up for a while..."

"Is that so?" The raven-haired woman rose a brow, "well, here I am."

This made Iris nod and grin, though it didn't last for very long. "You've been out cold for a few days, so there's a lot of things for you to catch up on."

One thing was for sure, Gabriel didn't like the sudden change in attitude.

_I've been out for a few days? Damn..._

"...What happened?" She was afraid to ask.

"Well, as you know..." Iris started, pulling out a news article and handing it to Gabriel, "we only just managed to get out of Insomnia. But..." She nodded at the paper.

Frowning, Gabriel took the bunched paper, trying to search Iris' eyes for any other answers before looking down.

The headline?

_Insomnia Falls._

A sharp gasp left her lips as she started reading through what the papers had to offer, shaking her head as she kept muttered " _no, no, no..._ " to herself over and over. This couldn't be true...

But the king...

Is dead?

Her attention was immediately caught when she saw the name Noctis.

"Th-that's not possible..." Gabriel muttered to herself. "Noctis wasn't even in the city!" He can't be dead. If he was, then the chances of everyone else being... "A-and Lady Lunafreya..."

Chucking the papers beside her, Gabriel cradled her head into her hands. No. She refused to believe that Noctis and Lunafreya were dead. It just couldn't be true.

"I..." Iris sighed, rubbing her arm. She didn't know how to bring up this other bit of news. It, most likely, would be more of a touchy subject that this.

"It's about Mr Nyx..."

Gabriel's head shot up, lurching forward and grabbing Iris by the shoulders. "What happened!?" She had a feeling she knew what Iris was going to say, tears were already pricking at her eyes.

_Don't you dare say he's gone!_

"He's... H-he's-!" She couldn't even finish the sentence. Iris burst out crying herself, head falling into Gabriel's chest.

No words were said as Gabriel held the teenage girl, holding her close. Just like that, another good soul was lost thanks to the fucking Empire.

"It was supposed to be a peace treaty..." Gabriel muttered into Iris' hair, sighing. She didn't even bother wiping the tears that fell from her own eyes. What was the point?

Iris sniffled, sitting up. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she got her phone out, opened something and then held it out to Gabriel.

With a confused frown, the raven-haired woman took the phone that was held out, reading over the text that Iris had gotten up.

Wait. The name...

_Gladiolus?_

He's- He's alive?

She couldn't bring herself to smile, but a long sigh of relief left her lips.

" _They're alive._ "

Reading over the text, she let it sink in that they were on their way to Lestallum. _They_. Noctis, Ignis... Prompto.

Now _that_ brought a little smile to her lips. "Prom..." Handing her phone back, Gabriel leant back on the wall, "do you know when they'll get here?"

Iris shrugged, rubbing her eye, "they said tomorrow night at the latest."

_Tomorrow!?_

_Just how long was she out?_

_...When was that news article issued?_

"Alright," Gabriel nodded, "and thank you."

She got another shrug in response, "I'll... I'll leave you to it, then." Iris didn't exactly know whether her friend wanted time to her own thoughts or not, so she didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary.

Gabriel gave another nod, managing another tiny, somewhat forced, smile. "I'll join you later, okay?"

Iris smiled slightly herself, "okay."

Then she left.

Gabriel sighed as she shut the door, moving to sit back down on her bed.

Where was _her_ phone?

In fact...

She had just grown aware that she wasn't in her usual Crownsguard fit, but a pair of tracksuit pants and a sports bra.

_Where-?_

_Ah._

Hung on a chair at a desk by the window were her clothes, neatly folded up. Her phone? On the desk.

She went to grab the sleek black phone, but she couldn't help but notice that the rips and bullet holes in her clothes were totally mended.

_Thank you, whoever did this._

Now, she wouldn't be surprised if her phone no longer worked--

Spoken too soon.

Turns out it still had battery life and, as soon as it turned on, she got a flood of notifications.

She had more than a few from Noctis, some from Gladio and.. most of them were from Prompto. Of course. A few emails as well, but those were hardly important right now.

Chuckling as she sniffed a bit, she went ahead and read through the messages the others had sent her.

All of them had the same intentions - checking to see if she was okay. The first few were asking how her day was going, then they turned into more concerned messages from her not responding, to them being alarmed after finding out about Insomnia. These were sent about a week ago.

_She was out for a week!?_

She felt bad, but at the same time, it's not like she had time to check her phone when it was all happening.

Not really feeling up to respond to the messages from Noctis or Gladio, Gabriel opened up the ones from Prompto. Reading over them was enough to make her tear up again. He had been sending her messages every day. She shook her head and started typing out a reply.

_'Hey, bub. It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry I haven't been able to talk, I've been out cold for the past few days. I heard you're gonna be here tomorrow, I'm excited to see you and the others tomorrow. Talk soon xx'_

After hitting the send button, Gabriel chucked her phone beside her, but she didn't get a break from it for very long.

Not a moment later did her phone start ringing, surprising the woman and making her jump slightly.

_Damn, that was loud._

Picking her phone up once again, her brows rose in surprise, and she answered almost right away.

" _Prompto_!?"

_"Gabby! Oh my god, I never thought I'd hear from you again!"_

"Well, here I am."

_"Here you are!"_

He sounded pleased as punch to hear from her again.

_"We heard what happened from Iris, thank the Six you're okay."_

"I could at the same about you lot! When the papers said Noct and Lady Lunafreya were... I was beside myself with worry for you lot!" Granted, that was only earlier today, but...

 _"We were worried too, you know,"_ even now, Gabriel could clearly hear the worry in the blonde's voice. _"When we got the news and saw the papers about the city, we thought you had..."_

The line went silent for a few moments.

"Hey, I'm here and I'm _fine_ , so stop worrying about me."

_"I know, I know, it's just..."_

Did she just hear a _sniffle_ from him?

Yes, yes she did, as she heard Gladiolus call him out for it.

 _"Don't get all teary-eyed on your_ girlfriend _, you'll see her tomorrow."_

"Yes you will!" Gabriel added in a cheerful tone.

 _"Good,"_ Prompto hummed, _"just warning you - when I see you, I'm not gonna let you got for at least two hours."_

The raven-haired woman chuckled, "that's fine by me. I'll try and meet you guys upfront but if I'm not at the car park, then just head straight to the Leville. Don't wait for me."

_"Alright. I can't wait to see you!"_

"I can't wait to see you, too. Give the royal pain in the ass a hug for me."

_"You can give it to him yourself tomorrow."_

"True!"

_"See you, Gabby!"_

"Later, Prom."

And then the call ended.

That was more than enough to put a smile on Gabriel's face. It wasn't enough to put the depressing thoughts of her home and Nyx out of her mind, but enough to at least cheer her up a bit.

Standing up, she stuffed her phone in the pocket of her pants before heading out to find Iris.

Wait.

Before she left, Gabriel turned back around and grabbed her long-sleeved shirt that was folded up with her clothes, throwing that one before leaving.

Can't go out and have people she didn't know see her in her bra, now could we!

Well... not that it would bother her, personally, but she couldn't say the same for anyone else who might see.

Setting out, Gabriel soon realised she had no idea where her friend was staying. So, she opted to text her.

' _If you're not busy, meet me in the lobby?'_

It was sent by the time she had travelled down the stairs and, a few moments later, Iris had shown up herself.

"You wanted me?"

"I did," Gabriel nodded. "I figured you've probably looked around and know where is where and what this place has to offer, so I was wondering - mind showing me around?"

Iris smiled softly, nodding. "Of course!"

"You seem to be in a better mood."

Iris hummed as she led the older woman around the markets of Lestallum, turning to look at her as she spoke.

"I guess so," Gabriel shrugged, checking out a few charms she had spotted.

"Let me guess..." Iris thought for a few moments, smiling mischievously, "you got ahold of Prompto?"

This made Gabriel pause for a few moments, pink spreading across her cheeks. "...Maybe."

"I bet you're excited to see him tomorrow."

"I'm excited to see everyone!" True, she was mostly looking forward to seeing the blonde, but she wasn't lying when she said she was excited to see everyone else.

"Suuuure..." The brunette giggled, leading them down a short alleyway to get to the front of the city.

Though, Gabriel stopped walking for a second in the alleyway, stopping in front of a small shop.

_A small tattoo parlour._

She'd have to keep this in mind.

"So this is where they'll arrive?" Gabriel asked as they approached the car park, and Iris nodded.

"Yep. Unless they park further down the road, but I highly doubt that."

Gabriel nodded herself as she bundled her hair together in a ponytail, tying it off to the side. Alright, easy enough to remember. "Thanks for showing me around."

"Of course!" Iris checked the time on her phone, "we should head back now, though. We'll be having dinner soon, and I'm sure Talcott and the others would be relieved to see you."

Too true. They probably hadn't seen her since she fainted back in the city...

Gabriel nodded, turning her back from the ocean.

"Alright."

And so they headed back to the Leville.

And when they did, they had two guests waiting for them to get back.

"Gabby!"

Before Gabriel could even enter the hotel, her nickname was called out and, before she knew it, a younger boy had run into her arms.

"Talcott!"

She smiled fondly down at the young boy, wrapping her own arms around him and even went to pick him up, letting him wrap his arms around her neck.

It's only thanks to the training she did back in Insomnia that she was able to do this.

"I see you're fairing much better now."

Gabriel looked up from the young boy and over at an elderly male.

Nodding, the woman smiled, "that I am, Jared."

"I gather you have heard the news that the Prince is on his way?"

"I have! I'm very much looking forward to seeing him and the others."

"That's good," Jared hummed as he offered a small smile of his own. "Ah, Iris. I take it you just got back from showing Gabriel around?"

"Yes," the teen brunette nodded. "I also showed her where the others will arrive, just in case she wants to meet them there."

"That's good of you." He tapped the side of his cane in thought, "well, come along, you two." He made his way towards them, though he walked past them after reaching the two. "Let's think about dinner."

"Can we try out that Cup Noodle house close to the plaza?" Talcott suggested with a rather large grin on his lips.

Jared was about to protest against this idea, but Iris laughed.

"You sound just like my brother. He's always eager for that stuff."

"That makes two of us!" Gabriel added with a giggle, "I'm always down for some nodles."

"...Nodles?" Talcott looked up at the raven-haired woman with curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes, nodles." She set him back down, though he just grabbed for her hand right after, which she didn't mind. With a smile, she led the way, "onwards, to the Cup Noodle house place!"

Jared simply sighed over the fact he had just gotten outnumbered. Leave it to children to overrule his thoughts.

But they were happy.

And that made him happy.

With a chuckle, he followed them.


	3. Chapter 3

This was it, today was the day.

The day she finally got to reunite with her friends after one _hell_ of a month.

And Gabriel knew it.

She had managed to have a sleep in until about 11:30 AM (obviously she needed the sleep, she usually wasn't the kind to sleep in) but, once she rolled out of bed, had a shower and got changed?

She was ready for the day.

When she first left the Leville, her first thought was food. Preferably not Cup Noodle again. As much as she didn't want to admit it because of her unhealthy obsession with noodles, they were only a sometimes food. Definitely not a breakfast food. Unless it was Ignis cooking them. That was a different story.

Could she even count this as breakfast anymore, at this time of day? It _was_ more like lunch now.

Brunch, maybe?

No, she needed something more substantial than noodles, she thought as her mind went back to the thought of a simple serving of noodles in a cup. Last she remembered, there were a few food stalls out at the plaza... and she wanted to head that way anyway, so that's where she set foot after making her mind up.

The plaza was just as busy as it was yesterday when she had set foot there from her little tour. It was quite a contrast compared to what it was like the night before, where it was rather quiet with few people roaming the streets.

Gabriel eventually had decided on getting a little burrito from one of the few food stalls around the plaza after checking what each one was selling, accepting the wrapped delicacy after exchanging a few gil with the young female running the pop-up stand.

Deciding she wanted to check out the views that the lookout had to offer as she ate, she headed off for there. It'd be a nice place to eat in peace, and she could properly check out the views, too.

There were a few people on the lookout, looking over the rocky mountains and flatland. It also offered a stunning view of... was that the Meteor? So it was! She never thought she would be able to see the Meteor of the Six like this! It was actually rather close, too. She had only seen pictures on the internet and heard how pretty it was to look at.

This proves those pictures to be correct, it was rather pretty look at, what with how the blue crystal spires reached out towards the sky.

She got her phone out and snapped a quick photo, though she knew a much better, and frankly a much more professional looking photo, would be taken when Prompto and the others got here.

Hm.

Just when _were_ they supposed to get here? She could text Prompto to see how far they were...

Nah.

She didn't want to feel like she was rushing them by asking where they were.

Finishing off her lunch, Gabriel stood up and threw the wrapper in a nearby bin, then checked the time on her phone.

It was almost 1 PM.

Huh, had she really been sitting on that bench for almost an hour? Apparently so.

Well, she had until now and early evening to kill, so she decided to head back to the plaza.

From there, she decided to head to the tattoo parlour she had discovered yesterday during her little tour.

It came out of nowhere.

The ground shaking, the horrible pain in his head, _the vision_.

Just what was that?

Noctis wasn't sure. All he knew was that he wanted to sit down.

"What's wrong?"

The prince looked over to his royal advisor, shaking his head slightly. "My head... it just started throbbing."

"You alright, Noct?" His best friend asked, concerned.

He wasn't the only once concerned. All three of them looked worried. Moreso Ignis and Prompto, Gladiolus was more wondering about that small earthquake. If you could even call it that, it wasn't violent enough.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Noctis eventually decided. But was he? That had really _hurt_.

With that established, the four headed inside, Ignis going ahead and checking the group in for a few nights.

_Beds. Actual beds. That sounded heavenly right now._

"Gladdy!"

The sound of a girl's voice filled the lobby, Gladiolus looking up from conversing with the rest of the group. "Iris!"

Iris had rushed down the rest of the steps, eager to see the group and her brother.

 _It was so good to see him in one piece_.

"Look at you guys," she mused, joining her brother's side, "holding your own out there."

Prompto grinned, "what can I say?" He rested his hands on his belt, nodding at her, "you look good."

"All things considered," Iris giggled. "You guys are staying here, right?'

"That's the plan," Ignis chimed in, nodding himself as he fixed his glasses, pushing them up his nose.

Gladiolus crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his younger sibling, "when you have time, we have catching up to do."

Iris nodded, saying a quick, short "sure" in response.

That's when a certain blonde noticed the lack of a certain raven-haired woman.

"Hey..." Prompto spoke up once more, looking around the lobby before focusing his gaze on Iris, "do you know where Gabby is?"

"Oh!" Iris had totally forgotten about that, how Gabriel was beside herself at the thought of seeing the group and Prompto again. But, now that Prompto brought it up... "I'm... not actually entirely sure. She wasn't in her room when I went past it. That might've been about four or five hours ago now?"

She was probably just exploring, and yet... Prompto didn't really want to continue ahead without her. And he knew Noctis probably wanted to see her before anything else happened.

But, it was good timing.

Just before the group headed up the stairs, the sound of footsteps entered the lobby, which was quick to turn into running, which caught the group's attention.

"Guys!"

An excited Gabriel went to tackle the first person she could hug, which happened to be Noctis.

"Jesus!"

Despite the wincing and slight pain she just felt from the tackle, it didn't stop her from almost squeezing the life out of the prince. "Noct! It's so good to see you!"

"You- t-too.." He tapped her shoulder a few times, which Gabriel understood. A silent but efficient way to tell her she was hugging just a _bit_ too tight. Though the tapping did hurt her rather sensitive back, she tried to not let it show.

And then she turned to Prompto.

He had a rather large grin when he first saw her, though it faltered for a few moments when she went ahead and hugged Noctis first. But you bet it returned when she turned to him and, you thought right, he was the next victim that was tackled. Probably to the ground if Prompto wasn't prepared. And that wouldn't have ended well, considering they were still on the stairs.

"Fuck, man," Gabriel nuzzled into the blonde's neck, "I missed you."

Prompto only laughed, his arms quickly finding their way around Gabriel's waist. "You too! I was worried sick about you."

Gabriel was rather quick to look him in the eyes, "you were worried?" She started, almost looking offended. "I thought you were _dead_ when the papers announced _Noct_ as dead!" The dark-haired woman protested, shaking slightly as if she was going to cry.

"Hey!" Prompto shook his head, bring her close once again, "I'm right here, yeah? I won't be dying on you any time soon."

"You better not."

"Even if I do, I'll come back and haunt you."

This got a little laugh out of Gabriel, "ooo, I'm _so_ scared."

"You better be!"

"Alright, gross, guys," Noctis sighed, shaking his head as he chuckled, teasing the two. He expected as much when they met again.

"You think _that's_ gross?" The female wondered, "we could be doing a lot grosser things, y'know."

Naturally, Prompto's face lit up bright red at this, and Noctis pretended to gag.

"Didn't need to know that, Gabs."

"Yes, you did."

With a rather triumphant smirk, Gabriel pushed past the prince and the others, walking ahead with Iris as she showed them to their room, after getting the room number from Ignis.

Just after everyone walked into the room and Iris was about to shut the door, the sound of fast footsteps approached the door and it was pushed open a bit, revealing a small boy.

Gladio looked rather relieved to see them as well. "Jared and Talcott! It's good to see you," he gave them a mutual nod.

Talcott had a little grin across his face, stepping into the room with his grandfather in tow, looking up at Noctis.

"Prince Noctis!" He greeted cheerfully, glancing at Iris for a second before looking back at the prince rather confidentially as he gave a small salute, "Iris and Gabby are safe with me!"

Iris chuckled at this, but she wouldn't deny him of his thoughts. If that's what made him happy, then that was fine.

Gabriel simply thought the comment was adorable, cooing to herself quietly.

"Please excuse my grandson," Jared spoke up, placing a hand on Talcott's shoulder, "he has yet to learn his manners."

Noctis simply smiled, shrugging slightly, "I like it."

It was nice to not be treated like royalty all the damn time. Being spoken to like any other normal person was nice for a change, a welcomed change.

Jared continued, smiling himself as he bowed his head. "Your Highness is very kind, but we shan't impose."

Talcott, however, did a low bow, "a very good night to you, Your Highness."

And then the two left them to their own accords, Iris shutting the door behind them as Gladiolus nodded at them, Prompto waving at the little boy.

Everyone took seats around the room - Noctis, Iris and Prompto sitting down on the chairs, Ignis on the bed. Gladiolus opted to stand beside his sister, whereas Gabriel sat on the armrest of the chair Prompto was on.

It was silent for a few moments before Noctis spoke up. "So.. what was it like in the Crown City?"

Both Iris' and Gabriel's expressions fell, the latter looking down at her legs.

"Not pretty," the younger girl started, shaking her head.

"The Citadel took one hell of a beating," Gabriel sighed. "Explosions and everything. I don't even want to imagine what went down inside."

Iris was quiet, nodding in agreement with Gabriel's words, "but a lot of outlying neighbourhoods made it through in one piece."

"The empire had tactical targets in mind," Ignis muttered.

_Gods, she didn't want to remember._

Gabriel's hand grasped the chained pendant around her neck, shaking slightly as she tried to hold back tears.

_Not everyone made it..._

Seeing that she was getting rather upset about something, Prompto frowned, concerned, as a hand went to rest on her thigh as if to comfort her. She didn't look up from her knees, but she placed her own hand on his.

"You know," Iris put a hand to her chest, looking back up at Noctis, "if there's anything else, you can ask me."

"Oh," Noctis nodded as he looked to the side, "yeah, uh, thanks."

Everyone went quiet, looking at Noctis.

And it made him kind of uncomfortable. "What?"

"So..." It felt a little odd to bring up, but she felt it needed to be said. "About Lady Lunafreya," Iris mumbled. "I keep hearing she was in town."

Now, this definitely caught the prince's attention, leaning forward in his seat and elbows on his knees.

"Apparently she left right away," Iris continued, "but at least it means she's okay."

"She was escorted out," Gabriel added, shakily. "I'm not sure where she went, but I know for a fact she's safe because she was escorted out of the city by a Glaive."

Noctis took a moment to let this sink in before nodding slightly, eyes diverting to the ground. "Good to hear," he looked up at the younger girl once more, offering a small smile to Iris and Gabriel, though it fell when he saw Gabriel's state, "thanks."

Iris got up from her chair, looking over the group. "Yeah, well. Get a good night's rest." After bowing her head, Iris left the party to their own means, returning to her own room.

The group was silent for a few moments before Gabriel slid off the armrest of Prompto's chair. She was still holding onto her necklace when she muttered, not meeting anyone's gaze, "I'll leave you to it, as well." She headed for the door, opening it. She paused before leaving, speaking over her shoulder. "If any of you need me, I'm down at the end on the right."

With that, she ducked her head and closed the door behind her shut.

The other four looked between each other, concerned. They had all noticed her significant mood drop when Noctis asked what happened.

Prompto got up from his chair, wanting to see if she was okay. "...Should I?" He mumbled to himself.

"If you want to," Noctis shrugged, getting up to sit on one of the beds, kicking off his shoes.


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriel let out a rather long sigh as she sat down on her bed. She was fiddling with a ring on her left hand, looking outside the window.

That conversation before had really ruined her mood.

She didn't want to think about what had happened. To the city, to _him_.

Sniffing, Gabriel shook her head to herself before she pulled her top off, letting out a small noise of relief when the fabric came off her still pretty sore back. Gods, that had been bothering her all day. Guess that was the price for getting a tattoo on her back in the morning.

Standing up, she went and opened the closet door where a mirror was in place, getting her phone out and checking out the work that had been done after unclipping her bra. She couldn't bring herself to smile, but she was rather pleased with how it turned out, if you could look past how red her skin was.

Two daggers forming an 'x'. Only, they weren't just any ordinary daggers. She had drawn Nyx's blades one day when she was able to get a good look at them and, thinking that it could be a nice tattoo design, she had gotten it done.

A tribute.

But probably not the only one. In due time.

Gabriel's gaze went to her door when she heard a knock.

"Hey, Gabs?"

Prompto.

"Mhm?"

"Mind if I come in?"

"Go ahead."

The door clicked open just as Gabriel clipped her bra back on, though when she looked up, she was met with a rather bright red face as the door shut.

"O-oh! Sorry, I d-didn't-"

The female let out a weak laugh, shaking her head. "It's fine."

Still rather red in the face, Prompto fiddled with his hands as he sat down on her bed, "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm-"

"And don't just say you're fine!" He looked up, worry clear in his azure blue eyes. "I could tell something's really bothering you." And then he glanced back down, "it's fine if you don't want to talk about it... But I wanted to, at least, be here for you if you needed me."

Gabriel couldn't help smile slightly, turning to look at herself in the mirror.

That's when he noticed two things.

"...Gabriel."

It wasn't very often he used her full name. "Um... yes?" She looked over her shoulder.

"What are those bandages from?"

The archer glanced down at the bandages around her waist and sighed once more, shaking her head as she pulled her hair out of its ponytail, "just an injury I got when getting out of Insomnia. That's all."

"That's it?" Prompto felt like there was _way_ more to it than just that, and so he pressed for more.

A frown spread across Gabriel's face, "I got shot at. But it's nothing. Really. I'm fine now."

"You got shot at!?" He practically screeched, jumping up from the bed almost right away.

She didn't say anything at first, instead only nodding. "It... it happened just before we escaped the city," she recalled quietly. "I was careless and didn't see the Imperials. I'm just glad I was the one to get shot, not Iris or anyone else."

Her hand went back to the chain around her neck, looking as if she wanted to cry again. "We only got out because of _him_."

Prompto could see this was becoming a rather touchy subject. He approached her side with a rather worried look, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. He didn't want to ask, but he did.

"...Him?"

"Nyx. Nyx Ulric."

Gods, she hadn't spoken that name since... she last saw him.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. But now he's gone!"

But... she wasn't the only one Nyx had saved. He was the one to have escorted Lady Lunafreya out of the city as well - that was the task he had been given. She only knew that because she had put two and two together. When they had met in the city, he said he had something to do... and Lunafreya was fine but he was not. The way he had _looked_ at her in their last meeting... It was obvious, when she thought about it.

"Hey, hey! Please don't cry on me," the blonde pleaded, gently turning the female so she was facing him, seeing that tears had pooled in her eyes, dripping down her cheeks. He used his thumb to clear her eye.

Her free hand went up to her cheeks, unaware that she had started crying. She rubbed her eyes, shaking her head as she turned away. "...Sorry."

He wasn't sure what to respond with, so the gunman remained silent. Instead, he gently brought her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her.

Gabriel sniffled as she simply buried her face in his neck, not wanting to face him.

But that brought him to his next question. "Do you mind me asking what the tattoo is?" He asked gently, hand playing with her dark locks.

Gabriel looked over her shoulder and back in the mirror, seeing most of the tattoo in the reflection.

"I never really thought of you as someone who would get tattoos."

"Those..." She started, letting the other go, "are the weapons that he wielded."

And that's all that was said on the topic, and Prompto didn't press her for further information.

But, she continued, "that's... not my only one, though."

Now, this surprised him. "Wait, what?"

Gabriel giggled half-heartedly as she stepped back slightly, pointing to the one on her left shoulder.

 _How did he not notice that before?_ "A chocobo!" Prompto exclaimed, smiling slightly.

She nodded, "I got that one as soon as I turned 18."

"I love it."

"I know," she replied rather cheekily.

" _And_ I love you."

"I _also_ know that."

Prompto smiled down at her fondly, "there's the Gabby I know."

It had gotten dark now, the two having migrated to laying on Gabriel's bed.

No doubt the others were probably thinking about food.

But, to be honest? Gabriel wasn't really feeling up to eating right now.

"We should probably think about dinner," Prompto brought up, looking over the raven-haired woman that was currently cuddled up to his side.

Gabriel sighed quietly as she fiddled with the band around his left wrist, "I'm not really hungry."

He understood that. Anyone who was feeling down emotionally like her would probably feel the same. "That's fine."

"You can go without me, though."

"Are you sure?" Prompto looked down at her, "I'm happy to stay here with you."

Gabriel looked into Prompto's eyes, searching them for a few moments before sighing, smiling slightly. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

The blonde pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "of course."


	5. Chapter 5

_Oh, actual beds. They felt like Heaven._

Prompto had gotten a rather good sleep that night, he had even slept in for two more hours than usual!

So, it was about 8 AM.

The blonde was just about to roll about of bed, but he was quick to realise that'd be harder than anticipated.

Not with how Gabriel had an arm draped over his chest, snuggled up nice and close to his side.

Prompto couldn't help but smile down at her, not before gently trying to move her arm off him.

He was successful, Gabriel rolling over face-first into her pillow.

After kicking on his shoes, he left her room and went off to see if either Noctis or Ignis were awake. Hopefully the former, as the later probably wouldn't even put any thought towards the idea and request he had in mind.

Well...

To be honest, Noctis would probably say no, but it was worth asking, right?

Surprisingly, the prince was up. Granted, he was still laying in bed when Prompto checked the other guys' room, but he was awake. Mostly.

Ignis and Gladio were nowhere in sight.

Prompto grinned at the prince, "mornin', Noct!"

This only made the dark-haired prince groan. Clearly, he was not awake enough, as Prompto's usual peppy and cheery nature was too much for him.

That didn't mean he was going to ignore his best friend, though. "Morning," Noctis mumbled, sitting up straight as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I was wondering," the blonde started, sitting on the bed next to the one Noctis was in, "I need a favour."

"This early in the morning?"

"Hey, at least I'm not asking at six in the morning." When they usually got up. It was a fifty-fifty chance on whether Noctis would be snappy or not.

The prince sighed, shrugging. "Shoot."

"Um.." Prompto smiled sheepishly, looking to the side, "so... I was wondering if I could potentially borrow the Regalia. Just for today."

This certainly got Noctis' attention.

"I-It's important," the blonde added quickly. "I swear!"

There was a few moments of silence as the prince thought to himself for a few moments.

"No."

"What! Why?" It was safe to say that the blonde wasn't expecting a flat no. "Why not?"

"If I recall," Noctis started, finally shifting to get out of bed, " _you_ were driving the car when it broke down."

That... was true, unfortunately. "I mean... yes. But that doesn't mean it's my fault! Stuff like that happens!" Then he huffed, "that was ages ago, too!"

"Mhm." He seemed rather unconvinced. "What would you even need the Regalia for?"

"Oh! Er..." Prompto paused for a few moments, his cheeks becoming rather pink. "I, um, was gonna take Gabriel down to the Chocobo Outpost."

Noctis simply rose a brow at his friend, then it clicked after a few seconds. "Oh. You need it to take her on a date?"

Why was he embarrassed over this? He should be proud of the fact that he wanted to take his _girlfriend_ out for a nice day out! Yet, here he was, totally and completely flustered at the idea alone.

And it totally amused the prince.

"No need to be so shy about it, dude," Noctis teased, kicking Prompto's shoe as he walked past, walking over to Ignis' Crownsguard jacket that was hanging on a chair nearby.

"I'm-" Prompto blinked, shaking his head as his cheeks became redder, "I'm not embarrassed! I'm just-"

"Totally in love," Noctis cooed, chucking something at his friend after grabbing it out of his advisor's jacket. "I get it." Well.. he really didn't, since, to be honest, it wasn't really like that with Lunafreya. But, well... "Don't tell Specs. He'd have my head if he found out I was letting you do this."

Prompto jumped to his feet after catching the car keys that were thrown at him, rushing over and hugging his friend for a few moments, keys in hand. "Thanks, Noct!" He shoved the keys in the pockets of his pants, "you're the best!"

Noctis simply chuckled, shaking his head. But, he realised something just as Prompto was about to rush out of the door.

"Hold on."

The blonde poked his head around before he shut the door, "mhm?"

"Don't let _her_ drive," the prince warned, and he was rather serious.

"Why-?"

Being asked why made the dark-haired male shiver, "just... Don't. It's for the best."

"Okay?" This left Prompto rather confused.

"Anyway," Noctis waved a dismissive hand, "have fun." Then he pointed at him, smirking, "but not too much fun."

The blush was quick to return to the blonde's cheeks. "Shut up," he muttered as he shut the door.

Gabriel groaned as she felt herself waking up, lifting her head out of the pillow it was currently stuffed in.

_What time was it?_

She didn't know, and frankly enough, she didn't care.

She checked her phone that was still in her pocket, letting her head fall back into the pillow when she saw it was 8:30 AM. That was _way_ too early for her!

However, she didn't really get the chance to get back to sleep due to a certain blonde throwing open the door to her room.

"Gabriel!" Prompto called cheerfully, rushing to her side.

"Mhm."

Oh, he forgot how she wasn't a morning person. "C'mon, get up," he shook her, only for his hand to be slapped away.

Looking down at her with a raised brow, he sighed. So, she was going to play like this, huh? "We got places to be, things to do!" He grinned, not hesitating in yanking the blanket off of the woman, who whined at the sudden exposure to the cool morning air.

Gabriel looked up at the blonde with a rather annoyed, tired look. "But..."

"No buts." Before she could say anything, as she looked ready to counter his words, Prompto flashed her the keys he got from Noctis. "Look what I managed to get."

Now, this surprised her. "How-?"

He shrugged, flashing her another bright grin of his, "doesn't matter. Just get up, lazy butt."

This only made her groan again.

"I promise it'll be worth it!"

Obviously, he wouldn't be stopping any time soon, so the most she could do is get up. "Okay, okay," she mumbled, sitting up and setting her feet on the ground. "It _better_ be worth it. Or someone's getting kicked out of this room," she glared at him, fringe falling over her forest green eyes, "and it won't be me."

Prompto chuckled nervously, holding his hands up. "Just get up, for me? Pretty please?"

"Gimme a minute."

About ten minutes later and Gabriel had more or less properly woken up, being dressed in a casual outfit consisting of a t-shirt with a Cactuar printed on it but tied the bottom into a small knot and tucked it underneath so that it showed her stomach, a pair of denim shorts and some sneakers. Around her waist, a flannel in case things got a little chilly, mostly if the wind picked up. Nothing too fancy, but light enough to do walking in and be comfortable in the warm weather that Duscae has to offer.

She made her way down the steps to the lobby of the Leville, stuffing her phone in her back pocket as she spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair.

He, too, had changed into some more casual clothes; red singlet, black vest with grey cargo pants and those brown boots. It certainly had been a while since she last saw him in that.

"You took your sweet time," Prompto teased, looking over her choice of attire today.

"Shut it," she sighed, shaking her head. "Let's just go already."

"Right away, milady," the gunman smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the car.

But, just as they passed one of the cafés, she stopped. "Maybe we could get something to eat first?"

A good idea, if he hadn't planned that, too. More or less. "The place where we're going has a little café or whatever down there. I think the food is pretty good, too, from what I've heard. Can you wait 'til then?"

"How long are we walking about?"

Prompto though for a few minutes before shrugging, "maybe 20 minutes?"

She could deal with that. "Fine."

With his usual bright grin, they continued off for the car.

"So, what's this whole deal about?" Gabriel asked as they got into the Regalia, Prompto sitting in the driver's seat and starting up the car.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," the blonde teased. "You'll see."

"Fine," she huffed, "don't tell me anything." She tried pouting, but she couldn't keep herself from smiling.

Even she could see how excited he was, and he hadn't even said anything about what's happening. So obviously it had to be good if it kept the blonde rather good-spirited.

Well... that wasn't to say he _wasn't_ usually like that, but still.

"As soon as I heard about the place," Prompto started turning to look at the woman beside him, "I just _knew_ I had to take you there."

"That's good and all," she sighed before pushing Prompto's face back to the road, "but keep them pretty eyes on the road for me."

He only went pink in the cheeks, "s-sorry!"

So much for small talk. It was hard to not look at her when he spoke to her!

They were almost at their location, and Gabriel had only just noticed a sign as they turned a corner.

_'Wiz Chocobo Outpost.'_

Wait.

"Chocobo Outpost?" Gabriel's eyes widened slightly in realisation. "You're taking me there?"

"I sure am!" The blonde grinned.

She could now see why he was so excited. And honestly? She was too, now that she knew what they were doing.

A few minutes later and they pulled up on a grassy patch outside the outpost, where they next headed towards where all the chairs and umbrellas were set up. The café.

"Now _this_ is what I'm talking about," Prompto hummed, eager to get things started.

But...

As they approached, they couldn't see a single flightless bird in sight.

"What gives?" Gabriel had muttered to herself.

This didn't seem to bother Prompto as much as he had gone right up to someone standing by the seats.

"'Scuse me," he started, rather eagerly, "we'd like to ride the chocobos."

What they didn't know was that this was actually the owner of the outpost, Wiz. "The chocobos, huh? I hate to break this to y'all, but..." He looked between the two, seeing their faces fall as they were being delivered bad news. "We can't permit our birds to leave the post.

"Whaaat?"

"Aww, what gives?"

The complaints from Prompto and Gabriel prompted Wiz to continue, "not while Deadeye's still about. He's an uncommonly ferocious behemoth that's taken to prowlin' these parts of late. His scent makes our birds nervous, an' to prevent accidents an' tragedies, we have no choice but to suspend our rentals."

"Then we'll just go take Deadeye down ourselves," Gabriel stepped forward, a determined look on her face.

Prompto blinked, not reallyexpecting that kind of response from the raven-haired woman, but he nodded. "Yeah!"  
"You reckon you can handle the likes of Deadeye? Y'all don't look like hunters."

"You bet your ass we can," Gabriel nodded.

"Well..." Wiz thought to himself for a few moments before shrugging, grabbing a sheet of paper in his trousers, handing it to Prompto. "If you could bring the beast down, there'd be a reward in it for ya."

"Done and done. Being able to see the chocobos will be rewarding enough," Prompto grinned, stashing the information of the hunt in his jacket.

With a grateful nod, Wiz left them to their own accords.

"Well, I bet this didn't go as planned, Blondie."

"Nope."

Sitting down on the plastic chairs, Prompto got the hunt details back out.

"So, just _what_ are we dealing with?" He muttered to himself, looking over the details.

_Target: Deadeye Habit: The Nebulawood_

_Active: All Times Rating:_ ★★

 _Bounty: 3,020 gil_ _Reward: ???_

Gabriel peeked over the blonde's shoulder, reading the contents herself. "That's not too bad," she commented, resting her chin atop of the other's head. "Could be worse."

"Yeah." Stuffing the paper away once again, he got up. But, before he went off towards the entrance to the woods as Gabriel had done, he called for her to wait. "Do you think we should call for the others? They might be able to help us."

"Hm." Gabriel shrugged, "we _could_ , but..."

"But?"

"Well," she smiled sheepishly. "I'd imagine they don't know you have the Regalia. So, if you called asking for their help, then..."

Considering Ignis never handed over the keys for anyone but Noctis, and that was only at nighttime. So no doubt they'd find it fishy that they two had gotten down to the outpost so quickly.

This got Prompto smiling sheepishly himself. "That... is true. Only Noct knows. He's the one that gave me the keys."

"I see," the archer nodded. "Well, we _do_ have the day ahead of us..."

They maybe had until late afternoon when anyone would head back to the Leville.

Prompto grinned, "we can do it ourselves."

"Yeah! We'll show this Deadeye who's boss."


End file.
